From the official Press Release:

Featuring a low purposeful stance, the Vantage Roadster incorporates classic Aston Martin design cues. The elegant lines are fused with traditional craftsmanship and 21st century style, with an interior hand-trimmed and finished in the finest quality materials.

The Vantage Roadster will be built at Aston Martin’s global headquarters at Gaydon, near Warwickshire in the UK, joining the current Aston Martin line-up. This now comprises the flagship Vanquish S, the DB9 and the V8 Vantage Coupe.

Deliveries of the V8 Vantage Roadster are expected to commence during quarter two 2007, with prices to be confirmed at a later date.

Design

The design of the Vantage Roadster is defined by Aston martin as a "a single fluid form" with characteristic attention to detail, both inside and out, representing the "open sports car in its purest form".

The Vantage Roadster represents the latest evolution of Aston Martin's synthesis of craft and technology. From the hand stitched leather seats to the hand-finished bodies, to the modern Aston Martin V8 engine, hand-assembled at a dedicated facility in Cologne, Germany, the Vantage Roadster is an exclusive, advanced and unique sports car.

The three-layer fabric hood gives a taut, aggressive appearance when closed and when folded, the flow from front to rear is smooth and elegant, enhanced by the leather speed humps that create a unique transition between interior and exterior.

Even in convertible form the Roadster retains the design of the Vantage Coupe. The hood is stowed neatly beneath the rear tonneau cover and is either opened or closed at the press of a button located on the centre console, in just 18 seconds, and at speeds of up to 30mph (50km/h) with no manual intervention required.

Offered with an imaginative combination of different leathers, contemporary fabrics and aluminium, Vantage Roadster customers will have an extensive choice of body and trim colours from which to choose.

Technical features

Developed from the outset alongside the V8 Vantage Coupe which was launched in 2005, the Roadster shares the bonded aluminium VH (Vertical Horizontal) architecture – the backbone to all modern Aston Martins. Adding to this structure lightweight alloys, magnesium and advanced composites are used for the body, further contributing to the car's low weight and high rigidity.

Driver and passenger sit low, close to the car's centre of gravity, where they can feel the car reacting to the input of the driver.

Despite the additional mechanism associated with the convertible roof and the additional body stiffness, Aston Martin’s engineering team have ensured only a minimal weight increase to preserve the agile and sporting characteristics of the V8 Vantage Coupe.  At just 4.38 metres (172.5 in) long, Vantage Roadster remains not only the smallest model in the Aston Martin range but also one of the leanest cars in its class.

The Vantage Roadster equals the achievements of its Coupe sibling, with 0-100km/h (62mph) achieved in 5.0 seconds (0-60mph in 4.9 seconds) and a potential maximum speed of 280km/h (175mph).

Vantage Roadster will be available with two transmission alternatives from launch. Offered as standard is the fast-shifting, six-speed Graziano conventional stick-shift manual gearbox. This is joined by Aston Martin's new Sportshift automated manual transmission – an ultra-quick system that provides the driver with heightened precision via fingertip control of gear changes using paddles to progress smoothly and swiftly through the ratios.

Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster Specifications

Body

• Two-seat, two-door body with soft cover convertible top and heated glass rear screen. Bonded aluminium structure. Aluminium alloy, steel, composite, and magnesium alloy body. Extruded aluminium side impact bars and integral rollover bars. Halogen projector headlamps. LED rear lamps.

Engine

• Aston Martin all-alloy quad overhead camshaft 32 valve, 4.3 litre V8. Variable inlet camshaft timing. Dry sump lubrication system. Fully catalysed stainless steel exhaust system with active bypass valves. Front mid-mounted engine. Rear-wheel drive.

Transmission

• Rear mid-mounted six-speed manual with optional Sportshift automated manual transmission. Alloy torque tube with carbon-fibre propeller shaft. Limited slip differential.  Final drive ratio 3.909:1.

Steering

• Rack and pinion power-assisted steering, 3.0 turns lock to lock. Column reach and tilt adjust.

Wheels and Tyres

• Standard: 18 inch alloy wheels – 10-spoke design – Front: 8.5J x 18 inch / Rear: 9.5J x 18 inch. Bridgestone Potenza tyres – Front: 235/45 ZR18. Rear: 275/40 ZR18.
• Optional: 19 inch alloy wheels – seven-spoke design – Front: 8.5J x 19 inch / Rear: 9.5J x 19 inch. Bridgestone Potenza tyres – Front: 235/40 ZR19. Rear: 275/35 ZR19.
• Optional: Pirelli P-Zero Corsa sports tyres – Front: 245/40 ZR19. Rear: 285/35 ZR19

Suspension

• Front: Independent double aluminium wishbones incorporating anti-dive geometry, coil over aluminium monotube dampers and anti-roll bar.
• Rear: Independent double aluminium wishbones incorporating longitudinal control arms, coil over aluminium monotube dampers and anti-roll bar.

Brakes

• Radial-mounted four-piston monobloc callipers. Dynamic Stability Control (DSC). Traction Control. Anti-lock Braking System (ABS). Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD). Emergency Brake Assist (EBA). Positive Torque Control.
• Front: Ventilated and grooved steel discs – 355mm diameter
• Rear: Ventilated and grooved steel discs – 330mm diameter

Interior

• Full grain leather interior. Gunmetal facia. Graphite interior fittings. Electrically adjustable seats. Automatic temperature control. Heated rear screen. Reversing sensors. Battery Disconnect Switch (BDS). Trip computer. Dual stage driver and passenger airbags. Side airbags. Alarm and immobiliser. Tyre pressure monitoring.

In-Car Entertainment

• 160W Aston Martin Audio System with six CD autochanger.

Technical Sheet

(Source: Aston Martin)